Among other participants were Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, education minister Javed Ashraf Qazi and planning commission deputy chairman Akram Sheikh. The President directed the NCHD to expand its project of education, health facilities and capacity building up to 100 districts from the current 50.
The President said the federal and provincial governments were fully committed to the project and all necessary financial allocations would be made available to achieve the target of 85 percent literacy by 2012. He said provincial and district governments would fully collaborate with the NCHD and its programme would be implemented in all districts except from those that already had a sufficiently higher literacy rate.
The President emphasised the involvement of nazims at the grassroots level to achieve the goals of expansion of education and better health care on fast pace for the benefit of common man, especially those living in the far-flung and less developed areas of the country. "The people of Pakistan deserve a better education and healthcare in the remotest areas of the country in an equitable manner and without any discrimination," the President said.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz underlined that the NCHD should work in a co-ordinated manner with province and district governments to ensure that there was no duplication of efforts and resources for the improvements in these services at the grassroots level. He reaffirmed commitment for efficient and effective implementation of the NCHD projects and said all necessary financial allocations would be ensured.